The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : YSR, Naidu lock horns at BAC meeting

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Tuesday, Nov 06, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

YSR, Naidu lock horns at BAC meeting

Special Correspondent

TDP president walks out of the meeting along with party’s four deputy leaders

-PHOTO: P.V.SIVAKUMAR

Face-off: Chief Minister Y.S.Rajasekhara Reddy and Leader of the Opposition N. Chandrababu Naidu at the BAC meeting convened by Speaker K. R. Suresh Reddy in Hyderabad on Monday.

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and Leader of the Opposition, N. Chandrababu Naidu were engaged in a spat at the Business Advisory Committee meeting of the Assembly here on Monday.

Following the unsavoury incident, Mr. Naidu walked out of the all- important meeting along with party’s four deputy leaders, saying he felt “insulted” by the Chief Minister’s “shut up” admonition. On the other hand, Dr. Reddy refused to respond to media persons’ questions and suggested that it would be better for the Legislative Affairs and Finance Minister K. Rosaiah, to react. He wanted media persons to check with “fifteen other members of all political parties present in the BAC”.

Conflicting versions

There were conflicting versions with Mr. Naidu telling the media persons later that the Chief Minister “heckled” him by addressing him in a peculiar manner with folded hands and questioning his past. “Dr. Reddy’s comments showed frustration at his failure to get Centre’s approval for enhanced minimum support price for paddy and at the way TDP was getting good response from the farmers”. Charging Dr. Reddy with holding out threats of silencing him, he said he would not be cowed down.

Mr. Rosaiah refuted the charge that Dr. Reddy’s comments were laced with “sarcasm” and wondered why only Mr. Naidu and Telugu Desam members perceived it like that. “May be Dr. Reddy’s politeness angered Mr. Naidu”. He said it was Mr. Naidu who made gesticulations at Dr. Reddy. The Chief Minister tried to calm down Mr. Naidu but the latter appeared agitated and did not relent and at one stage got up angrily.

CPI (M) and CPI floor leaders, Nomula Narasimhaiah and Chada Venkat Reddy, found fault with both the leaders for the incident, while the Telangana Rashtra Samiti floor leader G. Vijayarama Rao held Mr. Naidu responsible and his gestures. “It all started with Mr. Naidu and led to the spat,” he asserted.

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